I was reading abt a speaker’s message on community development work in Indonesia (Transformation). That at the end of the message, i felt as if something is missing. Re-read again the development of the argument & flow of the message. And i remembered what my pastor said this year, “you can do the work of God and don’t know the God of the work.”
That’s exactly how i feel after reading the message. There’re so much emphasis on personal’s work. Focusing on technique, methods, and results….that i sense where all this drive to…the glory of the promoter at the end, when it’s successful, and the fault of the executor if things don’t go well. But set this aside, for there’re more important thing.
We can do the work of the Lord, but do not know the Lord of the work. And that sentence remind me of the scary truth in Mat 7:21-23, which still vividly in my mind. They come from mouth of Jesus, noone’s pleasers except the Father.
Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!”
That i was tempted to add (for making the point clearer), in our days, people say, “did we not help the poor in your name, and in your name build destroyed villages, nurse the lepers, sending orphan to schools, giving food to the hungry, and perform many good & noble deeds?” Yet Jesus’ answer will be the same, “I never knew you, away from me, you evildoers.” For doing God’s work is not the same as knowing the God of the work. Man can do many good & great things, from selfish motive & vain conceit, not from the heart that knows the God. This is the first truth that so troubling, for those busy doing things.
There’re also those who say they know the God of the work, but not doing anything of God’s work. They too will face the same ending. As it’s written on earlier part,
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
When it says not everyone, meaning there’re some among those who say “Lord, Lord,” would be saved, because they do the will of God. So then, salvation is both by knowing and doing. Those doing without knowing belong to the first group above, while those knowing without doing belong to the second group. Only the third group, knowing and doing, who will enter the kingdom of Heaven.
To explain the second point more persuasively, another part of Jesus’ teaching which so clear on this can be found in Mat 25:41-43,45
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
“He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
That on the basis of deeds not done, they’re condemned. That one may claim to know God, yet without doing anything to the least, God would not be pleased. Which comes first, doesn’t really matter to me. One may start with doing God’s work to know God of the work eventually. One may know God before eventually drawn to do His work. At the end, they both know God and do His will.
It’s as scary as the dream I had. The people who think they’re right (either because they know or they do), yet they’re wrong and in danger. May this entry serve as warning to whoever come & read. The other thing which will be another entry, the false teachers of this days with their teachings that blinding many….may the Lord destroy them.